Rail-joint.



P. T. GORBIN.

. RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31, 1913.

1 86,895. Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

ccccccccc PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT onnion.

PARKER T. CORBIN, OF BRADFORD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO ANDREW J. HOFFERT, OF BRADFORD, OHIO.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 10,1914.

Application filed May 31, 1913. Serial No. 771,049.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PARKER T. CORBIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Bradford, county of Miami, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- Joints, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in rail joints and has for its object the produc tion of a rail joint which will be durable and economical in construction and efficient in operation.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rail joint embodying my invention, the contiguous ends of the rail being shown in partially locked position, Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the rail ends locked together, and Figs. 3 and 4 are perspective views of the rail ends disconnected.

The preferred form of construction as illustrated in the drawing comprises rail sections 1 and 1 of conventional construction. The adjacent ends of said rail sections 1 and 1' are formed with ears 2 which extend therefrom in such a manner as to overlap each other when said rails are arranged in operative positions, each of the tongues 52 being'of a width corresponding to one half of the rail width and so that when said tongues are in overlapping relation a complete rail will be formed thereby. The tongues 2 are formed with outwardly opening recesses 3. Also projecting from the ends of the rail sections 1 and 1 are tongues 4 which are so positioned as to be adapted to engage the recesses 3 provided in the tongues 2 when the rail ends are in 0perative relation with each other, the tongue 4 of one rail section engaging the recess 3 of the other as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The under side of the outer end of each of the tongues 4 is provided with an offset or shoulder 5 adapted to engage an offset or shoulder 6 provided in the bottom or adjacent surface of each of the recesses 3 as clearly shown in Fig. 2, said ofisets when thus interlocked or engaged obviously serv ing to lock the rail ends against longitudinal separation. The shoulders 6 are spaced from the inner ends of the slots 3 a distance greater than the shoulders oroffsets 5 are spaced from the extremities of the tongues 4 so that when said tongues are engaged with said recesses slight relative longitudinal movement of the rail sections will be permitted in order to compensate for expan- S1011 or contraction of the rails such as is caused by changes in the temperature, as in summer and winter.

The upper side of each of the tongues 4 and the corresponding side of each of the recesses 3 are inclined as shown in order to permit of insertion of said tongues into said recesses with the rail sections inclined to each other, as shown in Fig. 1, it being obvious that such inclination of the rail section to each other is necessary in inserting the tongues 4 into operative posit-ion due to the offsets or shoulders 5 and 6.

A rail joint of the construction set forth will be found of high efiiciency, the same serving to lock the rail ends together against relative lateral or longitudinal movement, and the construction being such as to permit of ready engagement or disengagement of adjacent end sections. Further with the construction set forth it will be seen that a continuous tread will be formed for the wheels of the cars traveling over the rails, the objectionable breaks in the tread such as occur at the contiguous ends of adjacent rail lengths which are generally in use at the present time and which results in jarring and bounding of the cars and hence discomforture will be eliminated.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claim.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a rail joint, the combination of two alining rail sections having overlapping tongues at adjacent ends, each tongue having a recess extending longitudinally thereof and the upper side of said recess being in clined downwardly toward the outer end thereof and the lower side of said recess having an ofiset therein; a second tongue on each rail end engaging the recess in the other rail, each of said second tongues having its upper side inclined downwardly toward the outer end thereof and engaging the outer edge of the inclined upper wall of its corresponding recess and its lower side pro vided with an offset portion engaging the offset of its corresponding recess preventing longitudinal movement of said rails away from each other and permitting slight inove inent thereof toward each other, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PARKER T. CORBIN.

\Vitnesses F. P. MCGRIFF, J. B. BAKER.

Gopi'es of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

